THE UNION that represents care homes staff fears that under county council proposals three local children's homes could be shut before enough replacement foster carers are found.

Unison, the public service workers union, argue that the county council should have checked whether enough foster homes were available to house children from the threatened homes.

But the decision by Lancashire County Council comes a week before adverts appeared in the local newspapers asking for foster families in the area to come forward.

In a statement, Unison spokesman Carl Owens said: "The council seems to want to do things in reverse by reducing residential childcare places and then hoping to find foster carers."

Six care homes across Lancashire including Marl Hill Crescent and Garth House in Ribbleton and Barnacre Road in Longridge, could face the axe in the proposed changes.

Mr Owens said: "It is a policy that is putting our members in the residential children's homes under increasing pressure and means in reality that children are either more likely to be placed inappropriately, or more worryingly, not be found a place at all."

Unison have now challenged the county council to prove that enough trained foster carers are available not to cause staff and children any extra problems.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "Two new specialist fostering teams were established last year with the prime purpose of recruiting and supporting foster carers for the more challenging children needing foster care.

"This will provide more choice and enable young people to be accommodated in closer proximity to their schools and their families than at present.

"Staff currently working in the homes due for closure will be redeployed to the other homes in order to improve the staffing levels and the quality of work that can be undertaken in these establishments."

Recruitment of foster carers is to begin in earnest from April and the county council expect to recruit up to 100 carers within 12 months.